Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1887-12-16

az heir eDlightens d self.interest and
safety, when they are reminded of the
fact that financial panic and collapse,
to which the present condition tends,
afford no greater shelter or protection
to our manufacturers than to our 9th.
er important enterprises. Opportun'
ity for safe. careful and deliberate re
form is now offered. and none of us
should be unmindful Of a time when
an abused and irritated people. heed.
less OF these who have resisted timely
and reasonable relief. may insist upon
radical and sweeping reflection Of
their wrongs.
The difficulty attending a wise and
fair revision of our tariff laws is not
under estimated. 1t will require on
the part of the Congress greut labor
aud care, and especially a broad and
National contemplation of the SUBJ
ject. and patriotic disregard ofsuch
local and selfish claims as are unreas-
enable and reckless of the welfare OF
the entire country.
Uuder our present laws more than
1000 articles are subject to duty
Many of these do not in any way
compete with our own manufactures,
aud many are hardly worth attention
as subjects of revenue. A consider
able reduction can be made in the ag-
gregste by adding them to the free
list. The taxation OF luxuries pre-
sents no features of hardship; but
the necessities of life used aud con-
sumed by all the people, the duty up
on which adds to the cost of living in
every home, should be greatly cheap
ened
The radical reduction of the duties
imposed upon raw material used in
manufactures, or free importation,is OF
course, an important one in any effort
to reduce the price of these necessi-
ties; it would not only relieve them
from the increased cost caused by the
tariff on such material, but the man.
ufaetured product being thus cheap
ened that part of the tariff now laid
upon such product, as a compensa.
tion to our manufacturers for the pre-
sent price of raw material could be
accordingly modified. Such reduction
or free Importation, would serve be-
sides to largely reduce the revenue.
1t is not apparent how such change
can have any injurious effect upon
our manufacturers. On the contrary,
it would appear to give them a better
chance in the foreign markets with
the manufacturers of other countries,
who cheaper their wares by free ma
terial. Thus our people might have
the opportunity of extending their
sales beyond the limits of home con.
sumption-saving them from the de-
preston, interruption in business,
and loss caused by glutted domestic
market, and affording their employees
more certain ank steady labor, with
resulting quiet and contentment.
The question thus imIeratively
presented for solution should be ap
preached in spirit higher than par
tisanship and considered in the light
of that regard for patriotic duty which
should characterize the action of those
intrusted with the veal of a confding
people. But the obligation to declared
party policy and principle is not
wanting to urge prompt and effective
action. Both of the great political
parties now. represented in the Gov
ernment have, by repeated and au'
thoritive declarations, condemned the
condition of our laws which permit
the collection from the people of un'
necessary revenue and have. in the
most solemn manner, promised cor
rection, and neither as citizens OF
partisans are our countrymen in a
mood to condoue the deliberate
violation of these pledges.
THEORIES PUT ASIDE.
Our progress toward wise con.
clusion will not be improved by
dwelling upon the theories of protec'
ton and free trade. This savors toe
much of bandying epithcts. 1t is 9
condition which confronts us-not 8
theory. Relief from this condition
may involve a slight reduction of the
advantages which award our home
productions, but the entire with
drawal of such advantages should
not be contemplated. The question
of free trade is absolutely irrelevant
and the persistent claim made in Ger.
tain quarters that all efforts to relieve
the people from unjust and unneces
sary taxation are schemes of so-called
free traders is mischievous and far re.
moved from any consideration for the
public good.
The simple and plain duty which
we owe the people is to reduce the
taxation to the necessary expense oi
an economical operation of the Gov
ernment, and to restore to the busi.
ness of the country the money which
we hold in the Treasury through the
perversion of governmental powers.
These things can and should be done
with safety to all our industries,
without danger to the opportunity
for remunerative labor which our
workingmen need, and with benefit to
them and all our people, by cheaper
ing their means of subsistence and
increasing the measure of their COM
fort.
A CUSTOM DEPARTED FROM.
The Constitution provides that the
President "shall, from time to time,
give to the Congress information of
the state of the Union" 1t has been
the custom of the Executive, in COM
pliance with this provision, to annu-
ally exhibit to the Congress, at the
opening of its session, the general
condition of the country. and to detail.
with some particularly, the opera
tions of the different executive depart
ments 1t would be especially agree
able to follow this course at the
present time, and to call attention to
the valuable accomplishments of these
departments during the last fiscal
year. But am SO much impressed
with the paramount Importance of
the subject to which this communica-
tion has 30 far been devoted. that [
shall forego the addition of any other
topic, and only urge upon your i'm
4